{"id":16002,"date":"2015-07-27T12:56:42","date_gmt":"2015-07-27T19:56:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.accessrx.com\/blog\/?p=16002"},"modified":"2015-07-27T12:56:42","modified_gmt":"2015-07-27T19:56:42","slug":"female-viagra-stirs-up-passion-on-both-sides-m0629","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/current-health-news\/female-viagra-stirs-up-passion-on-both-sides-m0629\/","title":{"rendered":"Female Viagra Stirs Up Passion On Both Sides"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Flibanserin,
Flibanserin, a drug to treat low libido in women, has managed to stir up controversy.<\/figcaption><\/figure> Women may be one step closer to having a medical treatment for low sexual desire.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s taken several years, but after intense lobbying, an advisory panel for the US Food and Drug Administration recommended approval of a drug called flibanserin<\/a>, the first drug designed to treat lack of libido in women. In an 18-6 vote, the committee favored approval of flibanserin for women for whom lack of sex drive is not due to causes such as relationship problems or disease, as long as steps are taken to limit risks associated with the drug. Would FDA approval for the drug be a major win for women hoping to enjoy a better sex life, or would it be an example of \u201cmedicalizing\u201d something that many people consider an ordinary fact of life? There are plenty of arguments on both sides.<\/p>\n

Argument in Favor of Flibanserin: Parity in Lifestyle Medications for Men and Women<\/strong><\/p>\n

Men who have difficulty getting or maintaining erections \u2013 a condition known as erectile dysfunction – have their choice of several prescription medications like Viagra, which has been on the market for 17 years now. Women who are unable to be interested enough in sex to enjoy it have essentially zero medical options right now. One of the most powerful arguments in favor of FDA approval of flibanserin is that it would be a step toward parity between men and women in terms of acknowledging that a woman\u2019s sexual enjoyment is just as important as a man\u2019s. While there are a couple of other drugs under development for addressing low sexual desire in women, they could be years away from approval, if they\u2019re approved at all.<\/p>\n

Another Argument in Favor: Renewed Hope for Some Clinical Trial Patients<\/strong>
\nAnother argument that favors FDA approval of flibanserin comes from women who participated in clinical trials and were happy with the results. One of the most vocal supporters of the drug is a Nashville woman named Amanda Parrish, who said the drug really did make a difference in her sex life and relationship with her husband. Moreover, Parrish has said that since the clinical trials ended, her libido has fallen off, and she has tried unsuccessfully to rev it up again. She tells Nashville news station WKRN<\/a>, \u201cSince that time I\u2019ve done anything from read \u2018Fifty Shades of Grey\u2019 12 times, to ordering voodoo medicine off the Internet.\u201d Parrish says that if the drug does win FDA approval, she will one of the first in line to buy it. <\/p>\n

Argument Against Flibanserin: It Might Be Dangerous<\/strong>
\nAt the same time, some researchers worry that the FDA is being pressured into approving a drug that may not be all that safe or effective, and think that approval of flibanserin could set a dangerous precedent. Unlike Viagra and its counterparts for men, which address erectile dysfunction as a blood flow issue, flibanserin addresses brain chemistry<\/a>. Clinical trials were performed on 11,000 women, and women taking flibanserin reported an extra 0.5 to 1 sexually satisfying event per month compared to those on a placebo. Also unlike Viagra, which is taken on demand, flibanserin is taken daily long term. Some researchers see that as too high a price to pay for modest improvement, particularly when nobody knows the long term safety profile of the drug.<\/p>\n

Another Argument Against: We Shouldn\u2019t \u201cMedicalize\u201d Lack of Sex Drive<\/strong>
\nAn argument against flibanserin approval from a feminist perspective is that decreasing sex drive shouldn\u2019t be classified as a medical problem. Libido naturally falls off with age (in both men and women), and some people worry that women will be pressured into taking the drug by husbands or partners rather than working on more substantial relationship issues. By making lack of satisfying sex the woman\u2019s problem, they say, pharmaceutical companies trivialize women\u2019s concerns about sex, saying essentially, \u201cIt\u2019s all in your head. Take this pill to fix it.\u201d Some critics point to past attempts to \u201cmedicalize\u201d normal events like menopause, which eventually resulted in serious questions about the safety of hormone replacement therapy and the halting of clinical trials<\/a> in 2002.<\/p>\n

There Are Feminist Arguments on Both Sides of the Issue<\/strong>
\nWhile some think flibanserin is an important milestone in treatment of sexual dysfunction in women and others think it simply throws pills at something that is infinitely complex, both sides generally agree that women\u2019s sexual enjoyment should receive just as much attention as men\u2019s does.<\/p>\n

\"Flibanserin
Flibanserin doesn\u2019t work like Viagra, and there are advantages and disadvantages to this.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nA clear female counterpart to Viagra, that addresses sexual enjoyment as a blood flow issue, hasn\u2019t been created. At the same time, a drug that addresses male sexual desire by changing levels of brain chemicals hasn\u2019t been developed either. Whether flibanserin will offer women a powerful new option for improving their relationships probably won\u2019t be known until it has been used for a while, assuming it receives FDA approval.<\/p>\n

What Happens Next?<\/strong>
\nThe vote for approval of flibanserin by the FDA advisory panel is nonbinding, but typically the FDA goes along with what the panels advise. Most watchers of flibanserin\u2019s journey through the approval process expect the FDA to approve the drug, something that could happen as early as August of this year. If approval is granted, Sprout Pharmaceuticals, the company that owns flibanserin, is ready to start manufacturing it on a large scale<\/a> right away. If approved, the drug may be required to carry a \u201cblack box\u201d warning<\/a> on the advice of some advisory panellists, who say that alcohol increases risk of fainting in women taking flibanserin and this should be prominently noted on the packaging. <\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong>
\nResearch into female sexual enjoyment is taking place, but so far women don\u2019t have their equivalent to Viagra, which has been nothing short of revolutionary to millions of men. Flibanserin, even if approved by the FDA, won\u2019t work like Viagra, and it remains to be seen if it will attain \u201cblockbuster\u201d status the way Viagra did when it was introduced to the market.<\/p>\n

eDrugstore.com<\/a> works with US-licensed pharmacists to dispense name brand prescription medications including Viagra and other medications for erectile dysfunction with quick shipping, and the ultimate in convenience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Women may be one step closer to having a medical treatment for low sexual desire. It\u2019s taken several years, but after intense lobbying, an advisory panel for the US Food and Drug Administration recommended approval of a drug called flibanserin, the first drug designed to treat lack of libido in women. In an 18-6 vote, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16004,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_autoblog_aioseo_focus_keyphrase":"","_autoblog_aioseo_title":"","_autoblog_aioseo_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[458,181,541],"class_list":["post-16002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-health-news","tag-fda","tag-female-viagra","tag-flibanserin"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t